Chrysler Group announced on Oct. 25, 2001 new details of its vehicle communication strategy for North America, including an entry that uses Bluetooth technology and uses the customer's personal mobile phone. Building on Mercedes-Benz's pioneering Tele Aid Telematics solution, Chrysler Group's offering focuses on voice and data communi-cation tools in the automobile, with an emphasis on personal mobility and consumer choice. Chrysler Group will offer a hands-free, voice recognition communications system. The system's communication is driven through a user's wireless phone, and works inside and outside the vehicle. Consumers can use their current carrier and telephone number, or sign up for enhanced carrier services with AT&T. It allows multiple phones to work within a specific vehicle's system (up to five phones) and it pro-vides multilingual (English, Spanish and French) and multi-voice recognition. The communication system will be available in an aftermarket version in the spring of 2002, with factory-installed availability in early 2003. Consumers will be able to experience hands-free calling using voice recognition commands -- just by bringing a mobile telephone into the vehicle environment. The communication device will be controlled and operated by a simplified hardware set-up, consisting of a receiver mod-ule located behind the dashboard, an embedded microphone in the rear-view mirror and a customer's mobile telephone. Upon entering the vehicle, the mobile phone connects to the vehicle's electrical architecture using Bluetooth technology. Once the sys-tem is engaged, the phone audio is fed through the vehicle's existing speaker system, overriding the radio. Chrysler Group's offering requires only the push of a button to make or complete a telephone call. All other functions are voice activated. Calls are placed either by voice, digit-specific dialing or by accessing the system's audio address book, which can be customized by the user.